Jury fail to come to verdict on 52 out of 53 charges of rape and sexual abuse
The jury sat through four days of evidence given by the victim, members of her family, and a former guidance counsellor.
At Waterford Central Criminal Court, a jury have failed to reach a verdict on 52 out of 53 counts of sexual abuse and rape.
A man in his 50s has been found guilty on one count of sexual assault against a child committed on a date unknown between January 1, 2005, and March 19, 2005, at an address in Waterford.
The jury sat through four days of evidence given by the victim, members of her family, and a former guidance counsellor.
The charges were alleged to have occurred over a six-year period between 1999 and 2005 in various locations in Waterford when the complainant was a child.
The jury spent 10 hours and four minutes in deliberations. They found the defendant guilty on the one charge via a majority verdict of 10/2.
The man cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
The victim, surrounded by members of her family, wept in court as the jury delivered their verdict.
The defendant was remanded on continuing bail.
Judge Patrick McGrath thanked the jury for their service and noted: “This has been a very difficult case. It is clear you put a lot of thought into this.
“It is not infrequent that jurors cannot reach a verdict, that’s the way of the world,” he said.
Judge McGrath excused the panel from jury service for a period of five years.
The 52 outstanding charges have been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further instruction.
The matter has been adjourned until May 18 when it will be heard at Dublin Central Criminal Court.
